The 80 cast and crew members involved in the making of the movie that has roiled much of the Islamic world said Wednesday they were “grossly misled” about its intent and expressed sorrow over the resulting violence.

“The entire cast and crew are extremely upset and feel taken advantage of by the producer,” they said in a statement to CNN about the movie, “Innocence of Muslims.”

“We are 100% not behind this film and were grossly misled about its intent and purpose,” continued the statement, which was sent to CNN by a member of the production staff who asked not to be identified for security reasons. “We are shocked by the drastic rewrites of the script and lies that were told to all involved. We are deeply saddened by the tragedies that have occurred.”

Terry Jones, the Florida pastor whose Quran-burning last year sparked deadly riots in Afghanistan, said he had been contacted to help distribute the film.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Jones on Wednesday to ask him to withdraw his support for the film, according to Col. David Lapan, Dempsey’s spokesman.

“Jones’ support of the film risks causing more violence and death,” Lapan said.

Facebook sprouted several pages dedicated to condemning the film, including one called “Israelis, Jews & Americans Against Sam Bacile’s ‘Innocence of Muslims’ Film.”

Israel needs to come to terms with Turkey’s superpower status in the Middle East, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz said during a recent speech at the Washington Institute.

Mofaz underlined the importance of mending ties between Israel and Turkey, defining it as “necessary for the strategic goals of Israel and for the strategic goals of Turkey.”

Mofaz called on leaders of both nations to put their differences behind and work toward better relations, according to the Washington Institute.

The former allies have become foes as a result of Turkey’s objections to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

In its lowest point, Israeli commandos killed eight Turks and one Turkish-American in a 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara ship that was leading a flotilla attempting to break the Israeli embargo of the Gaza Strip.

Turkey last year downgraded diplomatic relations and cut all military ties with Israel as a result of the raid.